October 31, 2011 10:42 AM
Paul Branecky
(Twitter: @PaulBranecky)
Overall record: 6-3-1 (Home 4-1-0 | Away 2-2-1)
Last week’s record: 2-1-0
Standings: 1st Midwest Division | 2nd Western Conference
 The Checkers finished the first leg of their season-long, nine-game road swing with a record of 2-1-0, vaulting them into second place in the Western Conference. After posting back-to-back wins in Oklahoma City and San Antonio on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Checkers missed a chance to set a team record with their fifth straight victory in Houston on Sunday.
The Checkers now return home for a week of practice before departing for another three-games-in-three days weekend set in Milwaukee, Grand Rapids and Rockford. Those games will mark the third of a string of four consecutive three-in-three clusters that will last until the end of their road swing the following week. The team will not host another game at Time Warner Cable Arena until Nov. 18.
Charlotte 2, Oklahoma City 1 – Recap
Matt Pistilli scored his first goal of the season on the power play with 44 seconds remaining to seal the Checkers’ first road win of the season. Jerome Samson also scored for the Checkers in the first period, while goaltender Mike Murphy made 22 saves to win his fourth consecutive start. Nineteen-year-old rookie Justin Shugg made his AHL debut for Charlotte, having been recalled from ECHL Florida one day earlier.
Charlotte 4, San Antonio 1 – Recap
Chris Terry scored his first two goals of the season, including the eventual game winner in the first period, as Charlotte tied a team record with its fourth straight win and set a season record for largest margin of victory. Brett Sutter, in his first game back from a four-game NHL stint, started the Checkers run of four unanswered goals with a shorthanded tally in the first period, while Drayson Bowman scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the third. Mike Murphy made 35 saves to win his fifth consecutive start.
Houston 5, Charlotte 3 – Recap
Charlotte’s record-tying winning streak was halted at four games as the host Aeros rallied from a 3-2 second-intermission deficit in a match-up of the Western Conference’s top two teams. Jon Matsumoto and Jerome Samson each scored five-on-three power play goals 41 seconds apart near the end of the second period to give the Checkers the lead, but the Aeros’ Casey Wellman tied it on a two-man advantage in the third before Carson McMillan scored the winner with 2:10 remaining.
 • With Sunday’s loss in Houston, the Checkers came one win short of sweeping their first three-in-three set in the team’s two-year history. The team has posted 2-1-0 records on each of its two three-in-threes this season, including a perfect 2-0-0 record in game two. The Checkers have thrice gone 2-0-1 during three-in-three sets, with a run from March 25-27 from last season being the most recent.
• At 6-3-1, the Checkers’ month of October was considerably more successful than last season, when the team posted a record of 3-6-1. Charlotte started November of 2010 with a six-game points streak (4-0-2) on its way to a 97-point season.
• Charlotte is one of only two AHL teams (Worcester) that has not trailed entering the third period this season. The Checkers have led going into the third period in seven of their 10 games (4-2-1).
• Center Jon Matsumoto recorded two points (1g, 1a) on Sunday for his team-leading fourth multi-point game of the season. Matsumoto leads the Checkers in scoring and ranks tied for 11th in the AHL in points with 12 (4g, 8a).
• Forward Jerome Samson took nine shots in Houston on Sunday, the most by any Checkers player in any game this season. That total included six in the first period alone, and vaulted him into first place in the AHL with 54 in 10 games. His average of 5.4 shots per game is higher than his average of 4.6 from last season, in which he ranked fifth in AHL with 245 despite playing in just 53 games. Charlotte currently ranks sixth in the AHL with an average of 33.4 shots per game.
Samson, who recorded two points (1g, 1a) on Sunday, is now second on the team in points (10) and is tied with Drayson Bowman for the team lead in goals. He currently holds a four-game points streak (2g, 4a), which is tied with Matsumoto for the longest by any Checkers player this season.
• Despite seeing his run of wins in five consecutive starts come to an end on Sunday, goalie Mike Murphy still ranks third in the league in save percentage, (.937), second in wins (5), second in saves (224) and eighth in goals-against average (2.08). Murphy, who has made appearances in eight of the Checkers’ 10 games this season, is also one of just four goaltenders to have stopped all comers in the shootout (5-5).
• Checkers defenseman Justin Faulk had two assists on Sunday to record his first professional multi-point game. The 19-year-old rookie now has 5 points (1g, 4a) in six AHL games this season and ranks tied with Bobby Sanguinetti for the team lead for points among defensemen.
| CATEGORY |
RECORD |
AHL RANK |
| Power play: |
12-53 (22.6%) |
9th |
| Penalty kill: |
35-42 (81.0%) |
17th |
| Goals per game: |
3.10 |
13th |
| Shots per game: |
33.4 |
6th |
| Goals allowed per game: |
2.60 |
10th |
| Shots allowed per game: |
33.6 |
27th |
| Penalty minutes per game: |
14.70 |
7th (lowest) |
| CATEGORY |
LEADER(S) |
| Points: |
Jon Matsumoto (12) |
| Goals: |
Drayson Bowman, Jerome Samson (5) |
| Assists: |
Jon Matsumoto (8) |
| Power play goals: |
Drayson Bowman, Zach Boychuk, Jon Matsumoto (2) |
| Shorthanded goals: |
Brett Sutter (1) |
| Game-winning goals: |
Jon Matsumoto, Cedric McNicoll, Matthew Pistilli, Chris Terry (1) |
| Shots on goal: |
Jerome Samson (54) |
| Penalty minutes: |
Justin Soryal (25) |
| Plus/minus: |
Drayson Bowman (+5) |
| Wins: |
Mike Murphy (5) |
| Goals-against average: |
Mike Murphy (2.08) |
| Save percentage: |
Mike Murphy (.937) |
Oct. 28 – (C) Brett Sutter reassigned by Carolina (NHL) to Charlotte
Oct. 27 – (F) Justin Shugg recalled by Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)
Oct. 26 – (D) Justin Faulk reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
Oct. 25 – (RW) Zach Boychuk recalled by Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
Oct. 24 – (D) Justin Faulk recalled by Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Friday, Nov. 4 at Milwaukee (8 p.m.)
• Saturday, Nov. 5 at Grand Rapids (7 p.m.)
• Sunday, Nov. 6 at Rockford (6 p.m.)
Start your week off with a cup of Magnolia Coffee, the official coffee of the Checkers. For more information, call Magnolia Coffee at 704-654-5393 or email jay@magnoliacoffeeco.com. |
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